A seated musician may rest a guitar or other stringed instrument against a leg while playing the instrument. Sound quality from the instrument and the quality of a musician's performance may be influenced by the position of the instrument. For example, a musician may find that performance quality changes when seated on a tall stool compared to a low bench, possibly because of a greater tendency for the instrument to slide from a preferred playing position in one seating position compared to another. Variations in sound and/or performance quality may be influenced by a musician's choice of clothing, possibly because some clothing fabrics grip an instrument being played more securely than others. Some fabrics have a greater dampening effect than others on vibrations from the instrument. Holding the instrument firmly enough to prevent the instrument from slipping may dampen sound output, may interfere with the musician's preferred positioning of the instrument, or may interfere with the musician's preferred movements for playing the instrument. Not holding firmly enough may allow the instrument to slip, possibly resulting in poor control of the instrument, for example missed or incorrect notes. Unintended changes in instrument position from one performance to another may make it more difficult to play an instrument with consistent tempo, tone, and accuracy.